No word on whether or not the female child puppet will be wearing traditional garb, or how much of it, but we do know that they won’t be including Count Von Count in the cast. I’m guessing that’s because… he’s a vampire? Further, the show’s creators have stated that they’re going to be avoiding questions of religion, so I don’t know how much westernization might be taking hold from this.

So should we be dumping money into a project like this right on the heels of the bruising budget battle which just concluded? James Joyner notes that it’s not really a significant chunk of change and he might get behind the idea.

Is this an incredibly brazen waste of money? Or a drop in the bucket well spent? The second, quite likely…

I haven’t the foggiest whether a Pakistani Sesame Street will succeed in transforming the culture on matters of gender equality or literacy. But, given that we’re pouring hundreds of billions of dollars into the region, I’m willing to risk $20 million to find out.

Aside from the poor optics of spending any money we don’t absolutely have to right now, I suppose I can see Joyner’s point. But there’s another question to be addressed. The areas where we really need to reach people and begin to change their way of thinking are more with the tribal groups than in the urban areas which are somewhat friendlier to western interests. And those are the areas which will have the least access to television programming. In fact, they have a hard enough time even getting electricity, given the shortages and delivery problems the Pakistanis face with utilities.

But it will get through to some, I suppose. I just hope that whole “Bert and Ernie are gay lovers” meme doesn’t catch hold over there. I don’t think it will seem quite as amusing to the new audience.

Blowback

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Today on Pakistani Sesame Street:Bert and Ernie build roadside suicide bombs for killing Jews and Christians and other infidels.
Brought to you by the letter “I” and “J” as in Islamist Jihad…and the number 42 as in 42 virgins waiting in heaven for all Islamist martyrs.

“According to the 990 tax form all nonprofits are required to file, Sesame Workshop President and CEO Gary Knell received $956,513 — nearly a million dollars — in compensation in 2008. And, from 2003 to 2006, Sesame Street made more than $211 million from toy and consumer product sales. Big Bird will be just fine without his federal subsidies.”

WHY is the government in the business of propping up Sesame Street around the world? Are they doing this for Subway? How about Home Depot or other corporations? But it’s “for the kids” right? Don’t back down folks. We must never feel like we can’t stop this corruption.

Meet Abdul al-Big Burkha, Al-Mo, and ibn-Ernie and Muhamed al Burtai, his jihadist roommate, upon both should be collapsed a stone wall for their being Soddomites, but can redeem themselves by blowing up a bus filled with evil Jews.

If Pakistan wants to run Sesame Street on TV and adapt it into Urdu or whatever local language, all well and good. Let them. On their own dime.

But, in this time of overspending by government, and when that money could either be returned to the taxpayers, or put into the treasury to pay off at least a smidge of the debt, who over at USAID came up with this $20 million genius idea??

Brought to you by the letter E. as in my head is getting ready to explode… Just in the last few days, I have see a $600k frog statue paid for by the taxpayers, and 2 different commercials telling me how to get my kids to “move” (by sending them outside to play and sending them all over the house for a dollar). Why without the gubmints help, I never would have thought about doing either of these… Thank you Michelle O, that Let’s Move campaign is teaching me soooo much! I’m sure getting my 15Billion out of it? How about you???

Also brought to you by the letter “B” as in Broke. and the letter “S” as in for goodness sakes……STOP!!!

As for Mr. J’s well respected intelectual opinion that yet another plan to spend $$$ is a “drop in the bucket”, with all them drops the bucket will soon be full. (And it did not take a kollege degree to figure this out!)

The United States has a long history of extending a helping hand to those people overseas struggling to make a better life, recover from a disaster or striving to live in a free and democratic country. It is this caring that stands as a hallmark of the United States around the world — and shows the world our true character as a nation.

U.S. foreign assistance has always had the twofold purpose of furthering America’s foreign policy interests in expanding democracy and free markets while improving the lives of the citizens of the developing world. Spending less than one-half of 1 percent of the federal budget, USAID works around the world to achieve these goals.

The following is a list of USAID missions that have an internet presence available to the public. This should not be considered an inclusive list of all USAID missions. For a more inclusive list of missions with contact information, please go to the USAID Mission Directory.
==========================================

USAID/Afghanistan
Our website demonstrates how American taxpayer dollars are being used to help Afghanistan and its people to build a peaceful

USAID/Albania
Albania has played a positive, moderating role in the Balkans and has made strides towards NATO membership and European Union integration.

USAID/Angola
Angola is continuing the transition toward national reconciliation and peace that was begun in earnest in 2002

USAID/Asia
The Regional Development Mission for Asia (USAID RDMA) was established in 2003 to manage regional development assistance programs in Asian countries without USAID Missions,

USAID/Azerbaijan
USAID activities have included nearly $284 million humanitarian and development assistance since 1992.

USAID/Bangladesh
Since Bangladesh gained independence in 1971, USAID has provided more than $4.3 billion in bilateral assistance to the country. Food aid accounts for nearly half of that amount. With USAID assistance,

USAID/Barbados
The Eastern Caribbean program of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) supports development assistance activities in the six independent states of the Organization of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) plus Barbados.

USAID/Benin
The USAID Mission to Benin was re-established in December 1991 with an overriding objective to help consolidate both economic restructuring and the democratization process in Benin.

USAID/Belarus
The Republic of Belarus (Belarus) is located in eastern Europe. It borders Lithuania, Latvia, Poland, Russia and Ukraine.

USAID/Bolivia
USAID’s assistance program in Bolivia focuses on improving the effectiveness, responsiveness and transparency of local governance, Congress, and the justice system; increased economic opportunities for poor populations through business development and trade;

USAID/Bosnia and Herzogovina
The United States Government has pledged $767 million to date for the reconstruction of Bosnia-Herzegovina. In supportof the Dayton Peace Accords, USAID assistance is helping to create a stable, democratic post-war Bosnia-Herzegovina with a functioning free market economy. Other U.S. support is being provided in the areas of demining, police training, national and municipal elections and the War Crimes Tribunal. In addition, the U.S. Government has delivered over $1 billion in humanitarian assistance to the former Yugoslavia since 1991. USAID/BiH activities are focused on four objectives:

USAID/Brazil
The USAID/Brazil team is working to contribute to a number of mutual U.S. and Brazil development goals and objectives,

USAID/Bulgaria
The transition from communism has been slow and troubled in Bulgaria.

USAID/Cambodia

USAID/CAR Central Asian Republics

USAID/Colombia

USAID/Cyprus

USAID/Dominican Republic

USAID/East Africa

Burundi
Central African Republic
Djibouti
Somalia

USAID/Egypt
Following the Camp David Accords in 1978, and in recognition of Egypt’s moderating role in the Middle East, the United States Congress made Egypt one of the largest U.S. economic assistance programs in the world.

We spent hundreds of billions of dollars and thousands of our troops precious lives and well being to install sharia law in Iraq and Afghanistan. That leaves me with no confidence at all that we will deliver some kind of constructive, pro democracy and Western civilization message via this idiotic kids’ show. It’s another nitwit waste of money.

Son of a G@d d*mn B!tch !! Every dollar I’ve made since Jan. 1 has gone to pay my tax bill for 2011, and they shoot 20 mil to shoot a #$@%^ing kid show ? In freakin’ Smakistan, home of enlightened gender equity ?! Well, steal my skivvies, and call me Sally, THAT really tears it ! There’s only two types now, Patriots and Traitors.

Have you seen the new LetsMove.gov commercial that teaches us how to send the kids outside to play. While I wonder how much this cost the taxpayers, and why they think we are so stooopid, my head explodes.

kringeesmom @ 8:56
I can only imagine. I’m afraid to watch for fear my head would explode. Typical Progressive mixed message. “Get out, and exercise ! NO!! You can’t ride your bike to school !” Recently came across and old summer camp group shot circa ’70, or ’71. I was struck by how lean just about all the kids were. And don’t blame today’s fat kids on junk food. That’s all we ate back in those days. Everything was some combination of sugar and/or cheese.

The areas where we really need to reach people and begin to change their way of thinking are more with the tribal groups than in the urban areas which are somewhat friendlier to western interests.

Puppet beheadings can be done tastefully, with a certain comic flair. Keep it bloodless for the kiddies and bring them back like Kenny. A jinn replaces the vampire (be careful what you wish for).
…
Even if there are subliminal Bible messages in a brainwave sub-carrier, the money is better spent on cruise missiles. This sounds like a dollars only version of the bloody COIN strategy — so costly in American lives. The way to reach people in those places is to make them afraid of us.

We don’t need to prove to them how nice we can be. They need to prove to us why we shouldn’t kill a lot more sub-human barbarians.

Because of the clear Western connection, this will instantly be declared “Haram” and the studios bombed while people working on the project are threatened or killed. Other than that, its not a bad idea.

Pakistan receives billions of dollars in US aid. They are one of the largest recipients. Of course they wisely spent the money to help their poor citizens by building nuclear weapons. Now all those starving Muslim zealots can threaten other countries with annihilation. We’re also pretty sure Osama Bin Laden is has been hiding out in their province of Waziristan, plus a zillion other Al Qaeda zealots. Why don’t we just launch a few ICBM’s and turn the whole wretched mess into a glass parking lot.